Jon Stewart leaving ‘The Daily Show’

MANILA, Philippines (2nd UPDATE) – Comedian Jon Stewart will be leaving the satirical news program “The Daily Show” after 16 years, his network said Tuesday, February 10.

The 52-year-old, who took time off in 2013 to direct a film based on an Iranian-Canadian journalist’s nightmare in a Tehran jail, has hosted the award-winning show for 16 years.

“Through his unique voice and vision, The Daily Show has become a cultural touchstone for millions of fans and an unparalleled platform for political comedy that will endure for years to come,” Comedy Central, which airs the show, said in a statement released via Twitter.

“Jon will remain at the helm of The Daily Show until later this year,” the network added.

“Jon has been at the heart of Comedy Central, championing and nurturing the best talent in the industry, in front of and behind the camera,” Comedy Central added.

The Daily Show, which airs 4 nights a week in the United States, offers Stewart’s trademark sideways take on the news.

Watch Stewart talking about his departure on the show here:

With Stewart at the helm, the show has won numerous awards, including 20 Emmys and two Peabody Awards.

The statement gave no indication of what Stewart plans to do after leaving the show.

“The Daily Show” has been a launchpad for numerous comedians over the last decade and a half, including Ed Helms, Steve Carrell, Stephen Colbert and John Oliver.

Colbert left his own “Daily Show” spinoff program “The Colbert Report” last year to replace David Letterman on “The Late Show” in 2015, while Oliver launched his own show, “Last Week Tonight, with John Oliver.”

Politicians have grown used to being the butt of Stewart’s jokes, while many – including President Barack Obama – agree to be interviewed by him.

Former White House advisor David Axelrod was one of the latest to appear on the show, tweeting Tuesday: “Just had the honor of being the great Jon Stewart’s guest on @TheDailyShow, where he announced he’s leaving.

“Emotional night. #jonstewart”

But his targets were not limited to politicians. Among his latest victims was embattled NBC television anchor Brian Williams, whose network announced Tuesday that he was being suspended for 6 months off without pay for embellishing an Iraq war story.

Stewart joked this week that Williams was suffering from “infotainment confusion syndrome.”

Stewart’s film debut, “Rosewater,” grew out of interviews that Maziar Bahari gave “The Daily Show” after he was held in solitary confinement and tortured for 118 days during the post-election protests that gripped Iran in 2009.

Stewart – one of America’s most-watched political comedians and host of “The Daily Show” for 14 years – adapted a script from Bahari’s best-selling account of his ordeal, “Then They Came for Me.” – With a report from the Agence France-Presse/Rappler.com